Lithuania's president and prime minister were forced to take shelter on Tuesday, when a drone alert caused the capital Vilnius to come to a standstill. President Gitanas Nauseda and Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene were taken to emergency shelters following the air alert, which ordered the city's population to take cover. Flights were suspended and road and rail travel briefly ground to a halt. The alert has since been lifted. It is not yet clear who was behind the incursion.
The situation arose a day after Estonia reported that NATO shot down a drone over its territory, which it believed was a Ukrainian drone disrupted by Russian electronic interference. The incident marks a continuation of drone incursions over NATO members Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
An alert from Lithuania's defence ministry instructed citizens: Immediately take shelter in a safe place, take care of your close ones, await new recommendations. The alert followed sightings of a drone from Belarus approaching Lithuania, but the drone's origin was not confirmed. Lithuania's military later indicated that NATO jets were deployed to shoot down the drone but were unable to locate it.
Local media reported that an evacuation order had been issued at the Seimas, Lithuania's parliament, leading politicians and staff to a basement shelter. On Tuesday, Estonian officials confirmed that a NATO fighter jet had downed a presumed Ukrainian drone, with no damage reported. Ukraine, in turn, accused Russia of intentionally misdirecting Ukrainian drones towards the Baltic states, while Latvia dealt with the political aftereffects of drones entering its airspace from Ukraine, with Prime Minister Evika Silina resigning amidst the crisis.
The incidents underscore escalating tensions in the region as Ukraine enhances its drone and missile operations against Russian targets, particularly as Russia's military closely observes drone activities in the Baltic airspace. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated an appropriate response to the infiltrations is being formulated.
The situation arose a day after Estonia reported that NATO shot down a drone over its territory, which it believed was a Ukrainian drone disrupted by Russian electronic interference. The incident marks a continuation of drone incursions over NATO members Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
An alert from Lithuania's defence ministry instructed citizens: Immediately take shelter in a safe place, take care of your close ones, await new recommendations. The alert followed sightings of a drone from Belarus approaching Lithuania, but the drone's origin was not confirmed. Lithuania's military later indicated that NATO jets were deployed to shoot down the drone but were unable to locate it.
Local media reported that an evacuation order had been issued at the Seimas, Lithuania's parliament, leading politicians and staff to a basement shelter. On Tuesday, Estonian officials confirmed that a NATO fighter jet had downed a presumed Ukrainian drone, with no damage reported. Ukraine, in turn, accused Russia of intentionally misdirecting Ukrainian drones towards the Baltic states, while Latvia dealt with the political aftereffects of drones entering its airspace from Ukraine, with Prime Minister Evika Silina resigning amidst the crisis.
The incidents underscore escalating tensions in the region as Ukraine enhances its drone and missile operations against Russian targets, particularly as Russia's military closely observes drone activities in the Baltic airspace. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated an appropriate response to the infiltrations is being formulated.
